Reality TV star and social influencer Josh Seiter has experienced a comeback following his death hoax, and he is back as one of the most popular online mental health advocates. #Powerjournalist Markos Papadatos has the scoop.
Queen Elizabeth II once said: “It is often the small steps, not the giant leaps, that bring about the most lasting change.” This quote applies to Josh Seiter.
“I feel a whole new sense of who I am,” he acknowledged. “I learned so much about myself and others during that whole process. Learning to not internalize the online hate and learning to love myself despite the things being said about me was a priceless lesson I took away from that.”
“My therapy taught me that I can dislike the false things being said about me, but I don’t have to catastrophize over them. It was a terribly unfortunate experience, but I learned some valuable lessons. I am honestly thankful for the experience,” he admitted.
Body image
He also shared his thoughts on body image, especially in the digital age. “After a short time on social media, one starts believing that everybody is skinny and toned with six-pack abs,” he said.
“Social media is not a good representation of truth or life,” he noted. “It is unrealistic to expect that everyone would look the same when we all come from different backgrounds and biologies.”
“We aren’t toys being mass produced on an assembly line. We are real humans with experiences as varied as our makeup, and I think that’s an important point to drive home. It’s ok to be different. It’s ok to have body fat. It’s ok to just exist, without feeling like you must perform or achieve something to be worthy,” he elaborated.
“That’s the message I’m trying to convey through my posts, which is why I choose to post unflattering pictures of myself or pictures of me when I was extremely overweight,” he added.
Over one million followers on Instagram
Seiter is thrilled to be celebrating more than one million fans and followers on Instagram. “I’ve been posting on Instagram for nine years now, so it was definitely a long journey to one million followers, but it was an amazing journey. It’s nice to know that so many people relate to me and are interested in what I have to say,” he said.
Goals for 2024
On his future plans and goals for this year, Seiter disclosed, “For 2024, I’m really focusing on my health. I’ve been dealing with some pretty terrible back issues and was actually in the hospital yesterday for what appears to be a herniated or bulging disc.”
“This experience has really taught me that I need to start putting my health first. As they say, you realize nothing you thought matters in life really matters once your physical health is at risk. That’s something I’m realizing firsthand,” he said.
Lessons learned from last year
When asked about the lesson that he learned from last year, he responded, “Last year taught me that I am stronger than my battles, that tough times don’t last, and that how we perceive the world is key to maintaining a positive outlook on life despite its hardships.”
“We can either choose to be victims of our situations or we can dig deep and use those events as a medium for growth and change. I’m really trying to do the latter and view each difficult event in my life as a lesson,” he said.
“If I can do that, I can change my attitude from one of “woe is me” to one of gratitude and thankfulness. Last year also taught me the importance of ignoring online trolls and the importance of logging off social media if it’s negatively affecting our mental health,” he acknowledged.
Message for his fans and supporters
For his fans and supporters, Seiter said, “To all my fans I want them to know that I wouldn’t have this platform without them, and I promise to continue raising awareness about the things that really matter.”
“I’ll never stop talking about mental health and body positivity as long as there’s people who want to listen and interact, so thank you for doing that with me for the last decade,” he exclaimed.
To learn more about Josh Seiter, follow him on Instagram.
